Hawaiʻi Community College, along with 10 other colleges and universities, has been named to the American Council on Education (ACE)’s 11th Internationalization Laboratory Cohort.

Over the next 20 months, Hawaiʻi Community College will develop strategies for campus internationalization by: forming leadership teams to work on strategic planning and student outcomes, attending community meetings in Washington, undergoing site visits and peer reviews, and participating in monthly phone calls with the Laboratory director.

At Hawaiʻi Community College, Sherri Fujita, Assistant Professor will be leading this effort. “Hawai‘i Community College has always been globally focused, but we lacked a strategy to integrate what is already happening on our campus with new initiatives. Participating in this Internationalization Lab will help us to define and realize our goal of internationalizing the curriculum and the campus,” said Fujita.

Noreen Yamane, Chancellor at Hawai‘i Community College explained, “Hawai‘i Community College’s mission is to serve our island community and to prepare our students for the demands of a global economy. By bringing the world to our students, Hawai‘i Community College is positioning itself to give our graduates the skills they need to succeed in our increasingly multicultural, diverse community.”

“The 11th cohort is the largest to date, and is made up of a great group of individuals representing many different types of institutions,” said Barbara Hill, senior associate in ACE’s Center for Internationalization and Global Engagement. “What we’ve found over the years is that even though their campuses may be different, the colleges and universities in the Lab share similar challenges and are able to learn a great deal though collaboration.”

Since 2002, 79 institutions have participated in the program. This year’s cohort met for the first time on Aug. 29.

Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents, and more than 200 related associations, nationwide.